My Blu-Ray Purge

The other day I did something I've thought about for a while now.  I went through my blu-ray collection and got rid of a few movies that I felt did not live up the high standards I think my collection should project.  Now, a few movies I kept because my wife enjoys them.  Some of which have now been separated from the main collection like The Hobbit films and the Twilight saga.

Some blu-rays I thought long and hard about whether to give them up or not.  In the end, I felt like I kept a few people may disagree with, but I don't think anyone would argue with what I sold off.  Here are 3 I Sold, and 3 I Saved.

SOLD

Green Lantern (2011)

Like the Star Wars prequel trilogy I think there are some good qualities in this film, but suffered due to bad directing.  I wasn't on board when Ryan Reynolds was first cast as Hal Jordan, but he eventually won me over.  I even enjoyed Blake Lively as Carol Ferris and Mark Strong as Sinestro, but this messy film could not be saved by the great casting and mythology.  The movie had one of the weakest villains with Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond and a poop cloud as Parallax.  Whenever I try and watch this film I get about half way through and turn it off.  Such a shame.  I hope WB goes a better job with their Green Lantern Corps movie, but my hopes are not high.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Speaking of great comic book villains turned into smoke monsters I give you the devourer of worlds; Galactus.  This is just one of many things wrong with this movie, from Jessica Alba's bleached hair to Mr. Fantastic break dancing.  Again, this film did have a few good things about it such as the Johnny/Ben banter and the Silver Surfer I felt was done pretty well.  But I also believe this movie was just more of a victim of it's time.  It came out the year before The Dark Knight and Iron Man was released, and a time before studios knew how to do these comic book properties right. 

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Ever heard the joke, "I thought The Avengers was Iron Man 3?"  If only.  Setting aside the whole Mandarin issue, this franchise hit a new low when War Machine was just a bystander and not the kick-ass soldier he is meant to be.  And did I mention Pepper got super powers?  The villain and plot of this film was so lame this ranks as my least favorite Marvel Studio film to date.  I'm seeing Ant-Man in a few hours, and I'm pretty sure it'll be better than this toy-selling vehicle. 

SAVED

The Punisher (2004)

Out of the three films starring Frank Castle this is still my favorite.  Some prefer War Zone, but it had too little of plot and character development for my enjoyment.  Sure this film has a few laughable moments that might not be intentional, but this is still the Punisher killing everyone involved in killing his family while still trying to come to grips with the tragedy himself.  Thomas Jane is a great actor and after the short film, Dirty Laundry, I think we'd all like to see Jane have another crack at playing Castle. "God's gonna sit this one out."  Classic dialogue!

Fantastic Four (2005)

Yes, the sequel to this film has very few redeemable qualities that make it watchable a second time, but this film I feel still stands up.  Aside from Sue Storm I think the cast is pretty solid; especially Chris Evans as the Human Torch and Julian McMahon has Dr. Doom.  It's a decent origin story with some laughs that I feel nailed the family dynamic between the four heroes.  Ben and Johnny are the kids,  Reed is the distracted dad, and Sue is the frustrated mom.  I'm hoping Fox's new interpretation(otherwise known as Ultimate FF) is a good one, but I feel like this film gets a bad rap from people who know nothing about Marvel's First Family.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

My 2nd least favorite Marvel Studio film, but my wife thinks Thor is hot. 'Nuff said.

My Top 5 Young Han Solo Casting Choices

Yesterday, a huge piece of Star Wars news broke as it was officially announced that Disney and Lucasfilm are indeed making a young Han Solo film that will be released in 2018 as part of their Star Wars Anthology series.  Disney also announced the directors of this film would be none other than the duo behind The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street; Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

While I would have preferred an announcement of a solo Obi-Wan film starring Ewan McGregor I am still excited about this news.  Lord and Miller have been on a hot streak ever since 21 Jump Street made me laugh so hard at Channing Tatum.  And it wasn't because of his bad acting for once, it was because he was actually funny.  With these two calling the shots you have to assume the film will have an element of comedy to it.  Han is known for is one liners so I can see this film being a bit light-hearted as Han makes his way in the galaxy with his charm and his smirk.

Not too long ago the debate went on about who would play the new Spider-Man.  Well now that bone has been picked dry and Hollywood has given us something new to chew on.  Who will play the young Han Solo?  I've got my choices narrowed down to five.

5) Richard Madden

Every time Rob Stark was on screen in the HBO series Game of Thrones Madden seemed to have an aura about him that commanded you're presence.  Rob wasn't one of my favorite characters but I thought Madden carried the character very well.  If he can bring that same aura to a Han Solo role I think he'll be well on his to play it the way Harrison Ford did.  On a side note, I also picked Madden to be the next Batman before Ben Affleck was cast. 

4) Ansel Elgort

Yes, I do admit that I watched The Fault In Our Stars because I always try to give each film and television show a fair shake before I dismiss it.  While the film was not good(liked I predicted) Elgort played the bad-boy-of-cancer very well.  He had a charm to him, and that's what we need in Han Solo.  We need an actor who can come off cocky and like him because of it.  That's what Ford did, and that's what I believe Elgort can do.

3) Taron Egerton

Having made a splash in this year's Kingsman: The Secret Service, Egerton has made his presence known in Hollywood and has proved he can carry an action film.  He's got the charm and the chops to pull off a scoundrel.

2) Penn Badgley

I first saw Badgely in the short-lived WB series, The Bedford Diaries, and he later found a home for several years on The CW series Gossip Girl while taking on several films like Easy A and John Tucker Must Die.  While I haven't always been a fan of his choices he has always seemed like a legit actor to me.  An actor who can carry a tough-guy vibe, but turn on some charm when needs be.  Sounds like Han Solo to me.

1) Garrett Hedlund

Once I had my list down I was concerned about several of their ages with them playing a "young" Han Solo.  I looked it up, and Harrison Ford was in his early 30's when started playing Han Solo and everyone on my list is 30 and below.   If Disney won't let Hedlund get another shot at Sam Flynn in a sequel to Tron: Legacy then they should let him play another wise-cracking hero with a chip on his shoulder.  Hedlund can do brooding so I don't see why he wouldn't nail this part.    

A Short Terminator Review

Ok kids, I have to go meet some friends for drinks so I'm going to give you my thoughts on Terminator Genisys as directly and eloquently as I can.  In the fifth installment of this franchise we actually see Kyle Reese travel from the future to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor from the original Terminator in the first film.  But when Kyle, played by Jai Courtney, arrives thinking he'll find a naive and scared Sarah Connor he finds one that has been raised by a Terminator ever since she was a little girl and ready for some action.  As always, our heroes now must find a way to stop Skynet from being activated and stopping Judgement Day from happening.

I liked the chemistry between Jai Courtney and Emilia Clarke, and think they will be good for the franchise, should another sequel be made.  The twist with John Connor put me off a bit, and really wasn't done well enough to matter.  Like Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the film tried to add too may jokes to a franchise whose best film was taken totally seriously.  Terminator: Salvation lost the time-travel element that makes this series special, but this fifth film had plenty to make up for it's predecessor.  

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to this franchise that made him famous, but still was not as good of performance as Terminator 2: Judgement Day.  With trying to make his robot personality funny it didn't pay off because it was used to frequently.  I think all the elements of a great film were here, but like the football coach that still lives off of his championship season many years ago, this film is far from the heights the Terminator name used to be. 

 Honestly, the Sarah/Kyle stuff was the highlight of the film and the only thing I stayed focused on.  She felt like ever since she was a girl she had a path she couldn't stray from, all the while trying to keep a secret from Kyle that they are supposed to fall in love and out of that would come John Connor; the world's greatest hero.  Kyle on the other hand grew up idolizing his own son, not knowing he was his father.  And John had to keep that secret from his best friend most of his life.

After the film I thought about the Sarah/Kyle/John dynamic and how much I love the time paradox.  John saved Kyle as a child from a Terminator.  Kyle then goes back in time to save Sarah and tells her how John saved him as a child.  Sarah then tells young John where and when to save Kyle later in his life, because without Kyle to go back in time John never would have been born.  I love time paradoxes!

So, in closing, Clark and Courtney were the good parts of the film and I'd be happy to go see another Terminator film sequel, provided they cut out trying to appeal to the broader audience with silliness and just give us some raw rated-R action with a deep time travel storyline.  Besides, we still don't even know who sent back '"Pops".  And yes, there is a mid-credits scene.

RATING:  C

5 Great Performances In 5 Bad Comic Book Movies

Today on my way to work I was listening to one of my old friend's podcast on iTunes. The Longbox Sessions stars Joshua Griffey and Alex Dandino as two sweaty nerds who talk movies, comics, and all things geeky.  Sometimes I think the guys can be a bit harsh on things of the pop culture nature, but in this week's podcast Griffey tried to be positive and mentioned a good performance in a "shitty" comic book movie.  This stuck with me today and got me thinking about other good performances by good actors who just got the short end of the stick because of how the rest of the film went.

5) Kelsey Grammar as Hank McCoy/Beast in X3

The third film in the X-Men film franchise is by far one of the most horrific comic book films I can think of.  Brett Ratner taking over directing for Bryan Singer almost ruined this billion dollar franchise.  However, the casting of Frasier alumni, Kelsey Grammer, as the X-Men's resident scientist was quite entertaining.  I'm glad Grammer got a second, though brief, chance to reprise his role in X-Men: Days of Future Past.  And amen that Singer is back directing Marvel's Mighty Mutants!

4) Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko/Sandman in Spider-Man 3

Yes, we are all still traumatized by emo-Peter doing his silly shuffle down the sidewalks of New York, and the underrated treatment of Venom and the Black Costume Saga.  But if the film would have just focused on one villain I think it would have been quite better.  Church is a top notch actor with roles in films like Sideways and George of the Jungle(a favorite of mine), and he did a terrific job of bringing out the humanity in a character that could have come off as silly.  One thing I especially enjoyed about Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy was making his villains relatable; like Flint Marko who was just trying to get money to help his sick daughter.

  

 3) Mark Strong as Sinestro in Green Lantern

Reading a Green Lantern comic with Hal Jordan as the hero can be entertaining.  But if Sinestro is right next to him the page will explode with excellence.  Sinestro has always been the other side of the coin to Jordan.  He's what Hal Jordan could be if he just stepped his toe over the fine line of justice.  And Sinestro actually believes his way is the right way.

Mark Strong is now known for his roles in Sherlock Holmes and Kingsman: The Secret Service, and as Griffey pointed out on The Longbox Sessions he was the perfect casting for Sinestro.  Like J.K. Simmons in Spider-Man, I would love to see this actor get another shot at this character, though I won't get my hopes up.

2) Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I don't know what Marvel and 20th Century Fox were thinking when they took a character who was known for telling jokes, and then get an actor to play that part who is also known for telling jokes, and then sew his mouth shut.  The only watchable parts in this X-Men spinoff was Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth.  I could also debate Taylor Kitsch as Gambit, but that may be just my favoritism for Tim Riggins.  Now, I'm not a big fan of Deadpool, but I am curious to see the new solo film coming out next year where Reynolds will return as the deadly assassin.  I'd also love to see a reference to him being mistaken for Spider-Man like in the comics, but somehow I don't think that will fly with Sony and Marvel Studios.

 1) Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I'm only referencing the second FF film because I still enjoy watching the first one.  It was pre-2008 when comic book movies were still trying to find their footing.  Iron Man and The Dark Knight both came out in 2008 and changed how everyone thought about comic book/superhero films.

When Chris Evans was cast as Captain America I was very vocal about my disagreement.  I thought Evan was the perfect Johnny Storm.  It was like he was ripped right off of my comic pages.  At the time I only knew Evans as comedic relief like in The Losers.  But he proved me wrong and now I can't imagine Captain America being played by anyone else.  But I still think he was an awesome Human Torch.

What Game of Thrones Characters Are Left To Cheer For?

WARNING, THIS ENTRY INCLUDES SPOILERS TO THE GAME OF THRONES SEASON 5 FINALE:

If you're an avid GoT viewer like me I'm sure the last couple of episodes have left you feeling a mixture of emotions. Season 5 was quite dull until Jon Snow decided to pay a visit to the Wilding camp just as the White Walkers did.  That episode was electric!  One of the best episodes on TV I've seen in years!  I felt like Jon defeating one of the White Walkers solidified him as THEE hero of this series.  And then, two episodes later.....he's dead.  I was monumentally shocked, that he was killed Julius Caesar style by his own men.  I always thought the three characters that were safe in Game of Thrones were Jon, Tyrion, and Daenerys.  So now my theory is shot to hell.  But in the season 5 finale lots of people saw their end, or took a tragic turn, including the rightful heir to the iron throne; Stannis Baratheon.  Jon Snow was my favorite character(as was quite a few fans) because he was one of the few honorable ones left.  So now, with more members of the Stark and Baratheon family dead, I have to ask; who else is there to cheer for?

JAIME LANNISTER

Jaime started out the series as a huge ass.  He pushed Bran out of a window for catching him fornicating with his sister, kills Ed Stark's best man on the streets of Kings Landing, and has his nose up in the air at everyone.  But then, he gets captured by Robb Stark, is set free, and humbled when his hand his chopped off, making him worthless in the eyes of his father and sister.

Jaime has gone through probably the biggest arc in the whole series.  So much that he has become one of my favorite characters.  He's the golden boy who fell from grace and is trying to find a way to still matter; especially to his family.  With his father and two of his children now dead Jaime seems to be just trying to hold on to the ones he loves.  Even if his sister/lover is the one character on the show that needs slayed the most.  I would love to see the three Lannister siblings in a room together again!

TYRION LANNISTER

Jaime and Cersei's younger sibling has been looked at his whole life like a bastard for being a dwarf.  Peter Dinklage explodes as this character in every episode and his exchanges with Cersei and Tywin are some of my favorite because of the tension they all bring.

Tyrion has gone from black sheep, to Hand of King, to king slayer, and then father slayer.  He's tried to stay a good person throughout it all, and is smart enough to still be alive.  Now he's going to be running Meeren while Daenerys is away.  I feel like he's got some big things coming up on the horizon, and given that he is constantly underestimated because of his size, he may just be the right man for the job. On a side note, I'm not a fan of Danerys.  I think she has gone from naive to arrogant.

 

BRIENNE OF TARTH

In a world dominated by men Brienne has worked twice as hard to prove herself a worthy adversary for anyone who raises a sword against her.  She failed to protect Renly Baratheon and Catelyn Stark so she sought out to find, and protect, Arya and Sansa Stark.  So far she is not doing a great job, but she did manage to kill "The Hound" at the end of season 4.

The end of this season saw Brienne take her revenge on Stannis for killing his brother.  I can only imagine now she will go back to trying and protect Sansa from a distance, or track her down since Sansa and Theon have escaped the walls of Winterfell.

SANSA STARK

When the series started, Sansa was so annoying.  But through five seasons this young girl has been through the ringer.  From losing most of her family, to being tortured by Joffrey and Ramsay.  Now she's escaped with her once trusted friend, Theon, and are on the run.  But if I know Ramsay, his hounds won't be far behind them.

Ever since the death of her father and brother the entire seven kingdoms have been looking to marry Sansa Stark, knowing she is heiress to the North since no one knows where Bran is.  I thought Sansa would be a stronger character in season 5, but she still seems to be playing the victim.  I'm just hoping that by the end of the series either she or Theon puts a dagger in Ramsay's throat.

'Jurassic World' Brings Extinct Franchise Back To Life

Whenever my friends and I are just sitting around, shooting the shit, occasionally the topic of scary movies come up.  Most people say films like It, Halloween, or Friday the 13th as the film that scared them the most.  For me, it was a movie I saw as a kid called Jurassic Park.  At that point in my life the main dinosaurs I watched were in The Land Before Time.  They were cute, happy, and sweet.  My view about these extinct creatures changed after I saw a cup of water vibrate.

Twenty years later ol' T-Rex is back to try and scare the hell out of me again.  Jurassic World is the fourth film in the franchise, but luckily for all of us we can just forget the last two ever happened and go straight to Chris Pratt taming raptors.  John Hammond's vision has been brought to life as Jurassic World is a huge success, but the scientists and creators of this theme park aren't satisfied.  They've created a new dinosaur all their own.  And like A.I., we know that humans creating new life and playing God never works out.

From the moment the John Williams score roared off the screen I was transported back twenty years as I saw something familiar, but also something new. Director Colin Trevorrow was able to recapture the tone and appeal of the original film, which I'm a bit surprised how well he did given his small directing experience.  Chris Pratt, having just come off the mega Marvel hit, Guardians of the Galaxy, shines once again as the lead.  I wasn't sure if to expect Star-Lord in this film or not, and was pleasantly surprised when he played a bit more serious and rough character, but still with a little humor.  Opposite Pratt is Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays the serious, cold, uptight, park runner whom Pratt has to thaw throughout the film. I felt like her character was very stereotypical with not a lot of originality to her, but still played off of Pratt pretty well.  I just don't believe she lasted the entire film wearing those high heeled shoes!

All the other actors seem insignificant next to the dinosaurs.  It was a pleasure to see the raptors evolve out of their usual serial killer role in the franchise to more of a White Fang metamorphosis of wild-beast-turned-man's-best-friend.  I'd definitely want Blue as my pet.  The action was great, I loved seeing some dino on dino fight sequences, and as I watched my wife squirm in the seat next to me I think the suspense of the film worked as well.

I've heard the film makers have several sequels already planned and judging by the little easter eggs in the movie I believe it's true.  From the cleaning out of the lab, too the scarred T-Rex at the end looking over his kingdom.  And I think we all want to see a reunion of Owen and Blue.  I'm sure they'll bring Chris Pratt back, and hopefully the two brothers will continue to play a significant role in the franchise; otherwise their heart to heart talk I believe is a waste.  I think the only expendable one of the main four is Howard.  We'll see if Opie's daughter has made enough of an impression to survive to another film.

My wife wants to go back and see the movie in 3-D, and she HATES 3-D,  so she really must have liked the film.  I'm fine waiting till I buy it on blu-ray, but I am drooling over what the special features will include.  I want see an interview with the actor who decided to save his two margaritas as the pterodactyls attacked!  I'm glad Jurassic World is breaking box office records.  It's a rare film everyone can enjoy that doesn't seemed dumbed-down for any age group.  I'm also now excited to see where the franchise continues from here.  Just as long as they don't turn the sequels into musicals I think it'll be alright.  Trust me, that stuff ruins dinosaur franchises.  

RATING:  B+

'Furious 7' Director Submerges Into 'Aquaman'

Anyone who knows me knows I'm an unbashful Aquaman fan.  The DC character has been the butt of many jokes ever since the 1960's when he appeared in his own cartoon series and then was featured on Superfriends.  Aquaman has been through many interpretations throughout his 70-year run, but Geoff Johns breathed new life into the character when he brought him back from the dead in Brightest Day and also wrote him into The New 52's Justice League, and he got his own comic book series once again.

Warner Bros and DC Entertainment are busy trying to catch Marvel with their own cinematic universe.  Jason Momoa from Game of Thrones has been cast to play the King of the Seven Seas in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice coming out next year, with his own film slated for 2018.  A few days ago it was announced that Fast & Furious 7 director, James Wan, has now signed on to direct the Aquaman stand-alone film. 

Fast & Furious 7 broke box office records, but let's be honest. Most of that hype was due to the tragic death of Paul Walker while filming the movie. Wan, Universal Studios, and the cast handled the situation great and honored Walker's memory perfectly, but Aquaman is a whole different machine.  Before F&F, Wan had mainly done horror movies. He started the infamous Saw and Insidious franchises, and while I'm not a horror fan I still appreciate any film maker who creates something that is good enough to start a series. Fast and Furious is also not known for Oscar winning performances and story telling. As the series continues the stunts and plots get more and more ridiculous.  

DC characters like Aquaman and Wonder Woman are very mythical. When dealing with worlds like Atlantis and the Themiscrya you need directors who can handle the fantasy aspect, but flesh out the characters to make the movie work.  Formerly attached to direct the Wonder Woman movie was Michelle MacLaren, who would have been a good fit with her background working on Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.  Kenneth Branagh also had a background dealing with Shakespearean stories when he directed Thor, and it helped make the fantasy world of Asgard believable.  I have yet to see that kind of talent as a director from James Wan.

Given that Aquaman will be part of a much bigger cinematic world Wan will also have to deal with producers and studio heads throwing in their 2, or even 10, cents into the project Wan will be the captain of. Like all the other WB/DC films set to come out in the next few years, I am hoping for the best but don't have much faith in WB since they put Zach Snyder in charge of the big DC films coming out. I was disappointed with Man of Steel and thought Zach Snyder was the wrong director to reintroduce not only Superman onto the big screen, but the now entire DC Comics universe.

I have yet to see enough of both James Wan and Jason Momoa to see if they have the talent to pull off the epic film Aquaman should be. However, given both their action backgrounds this may be the next step in their careers to not only elevate their reputations, but also Aquaman. And the movie is still three years away. Like mighty rivers and oceans, the DC Cinematic Universe current could change directions by then. Either way, I'll be watching.